4-7-05

It is BEAUTIFUL up here. The trees aren’t budding as much as I had hoped and the flowers aren’t growing yet, but you can tell it’s spring. It’s about 65 out. Gorgeous.

The in-laws are looking to build on the other side of their property, and have offered (again) to give us their current home. It’s quite old, built either 104 or 140 years ago, I can’t recall which Fish’s dad said. He thinks he said 140 as well. Mom just said ’round 200. Fish said he’d go with what Dad said. It’s been added onto obviously, but it still has a lot of the original structure. It’s got quite a lot of “personality.” I forgot to get photos of the house itself, but I did get some of the land.

The house has the original hand cut support beams, the original stones for where the pot bellied stove would sit (to heat the house). It has a second floor, which currently houses a king size bed, a queen, my father in laws gun room (which is a large enough room for a twin bed probably), and another area as well. Plus the closet. Oh, and a walk out balcony. The first floor has a great “sit and watch the trees grow” porch, a mud room (it’s what you walk into first, it houses all their coats, shoes, FIL’s fishing gear, hunting gear, etc..) HUGE area. Then you walk into a living room, the dining room is just beyond it (same room, but it is obviously separate, not one large room, if that makes sense). The steps upstairs are to the left, then there is another room that is being used as a sitting room for Fish’s grandma, but it was the dining room, and then there is another bedroom by that sitting room. If you had kept going straight instead of turning at the steps there is the kitchen, and to the left of the kitchen is a room large enough to hold another table and chairs plus pantry against the wall. To the right is a small area (like a foyer) that has the bathroom off of it and another room that was added on that is the current living room. It runs the length of the house almost. Then there is the back porch, which has a phenomenal view of their backyard.

We might take them up on their offer if it’s a few years from now. They wont be building for another year or so (I think that’s what was said) so it’s a moot point right now anyway. I’d also have to see how my mom is doing health wise. If something happens with her, and Fish understands this, I can’t leave until the twins are of age. Now, if something were to happen to both my parents (*knock on wood*) I would sell the house, pack them up faster than they know what happened, and move us all up there. I could purchase outright a home for half of what this house would sell for, or less even.

We were thinking about saving for a few years and buying outright up here anyway (housing so inexpensive here!) so all Fish would have to work for would be taxes, food, and bills, not a mortgage or rent. Sadly, he’d be doing a lot of 20$ tazmanian devils and the equivalent, not the 3 and 400$ custom pieces he is doing in Fla. EDIT: His cousins fiancee said there is a lot of business, and the artist there are overcharging for shit work. So the potential is there, perhaps even to open our own shop., FIL said the gov’t is pouring as much money into W Va as they can to help it grow. But he said if his parents were on the other side of the property (80 acres on a mountain side) he’d def. consider it, and so would I. As much as I might complain about the inlaws, they aren’t so bad as in-laws go, and given how much I go into the city (in Florida) or even leave the house, I don’t think I’d miss it here that much. I’d have my farm and all, and it’d be nice. Just not tomorrow. I’d also be all over having more kids if we moved here, or adopting/fostering if we could pass the approval and all for it.

But definitely not tomorrow. Or even next year.

Forgot to add, I’d really have to take the weather into consideration. The winters here are freezing, and the bridge at the bottom of their mountain washed out last year, but it is just gorgeous. It really is.

The flight up was almost empty, we had both rows across (so six seats) Eshiva slept, Dorian watched Toy Story 2 on the lap top, Chai nursed to sleep and slept most of the flight as well (and the stewardesses said to each other, not me, something about nursing toddlers, and mentioned that lady who was forcing her 5 y/o to nurse last year I think it was, and I was almost pissed enough to turn around and say something, but they did not comment directly to me, and he was sleeping, so it wasn’t worth it. I kind of wish I had though.)

Hoping the flight back is as easy, but it’s an afternoon flight, so I expect it to be much fuller.

We also had a 3 hour drive from Pittsburgh to Parkersburg. That wasn’t so bad, just long. The boys slept most of it.

4-8-05
Spent the day hanging out at the in-laws house. FIL had to work. The boys blew bubbles, tried to fly their kites, ran around outside, and otherwise had a blast. I learned to knit, and practiced that for a good chunk of the day.

4-9-05
How much do I suck, I really can’t remember what all we did. I know we went into town, had lunch at Olive Garden. Saw the other grandma for a bit. Drove around and took some photos of Fish’s high school (it’s three stories high, it used to be 4, but it’s been sinking. His grandma went to that school.) Saw the park, and some beautiful old homes. We went to the Blennerhasset Island museum and saw some awesome old relics. I bought my dad a book about W Va and it’s place in the Civil War (an autographed copy even) b/c he would like it, and some other misc junk. Pam gave us apiece of Fenton glass so we didn’t have to buy one for my mom. I bought her a brushed aluminum or stainless steel, not sure which, W Va shot glass. For those who care, Sarah got a cats eye (the stone) cat necklace, and Michael got a deer antler (not a set, a shed antler). We were right, he did think it was neat.

4-10-05
Malachai wrote this email to my mom today:

bg bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Malachai wanted to send you a letter!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mallllaaachhaii
Opa Dan is fishing with Dorian (they are looking for worms right now) and we are going shopping with Oma Pam.

I blew bubbles. They were circles. I blew lots of them. Six!

Love,
Malachai

and Dorian wrote this one:

Rara -
This is Dorian. I caught 15 fish! We used bacon instead of worms! The fish must have really liked it. Opa Dan said on top of the fish wings are sharp, and we have to be careful. We also went in the tree house. I blew bubbles too. I also flew my kite. I rode on the tractor with Opa Dan and the 4 wheeler. I stayed with Opa Dan while mom & dad & Eshiva & Malachai & Oma Pam went shopping. I got down out of the tree house all by myself. Opa Dan and I also looked for arrowheads. I didn’t find any.

Love,
Dorian

Ma -

It’s been a great trip actually. It’s just beautiful outside, and Dor has just taken to Dan (obviously). We might have to come out more often, both boys had a lot of fun playing outside in the dirt and stream and with the dogs (once Chai got over his fear of them).

We went back into town to do some shopping while Dan was fishing with Dorian. Got some stuff for the boys, nothing for Eshiva (I’ll get to that in a minute). Checked out the south side of town. Otherwise schmyed around. When we got back to the house, Pam insisted Eshiva needed something, and I had mentioned while we were out she could always use more diapers. So I pull up a site that has kissaluvs for fairly cheap (I really like the kissaluvs fitteds) and I figure she will buy a couple of them. She bought TWELVE! Wow. So once they arrive I ought to have enough to be able to go more than a day between washings.

Fish made (ew) pulled pork bbq sandwiches for dinner and coleslaw. I had a grilled cheese sammich (sandwich for the sammich impaired).

4-11-05
Got the “who knows when I’ll see them again” guilt trip. It effected Fish more than me. I do want to try to go back up in October though, to see the beginning of Autumn. Woke up ass early to get there around 8. It mostly worked lol We had to leave at 11 to get to the airport by 2. We got there and checked in with just enough time to realize we didn’t have time to eat, it was time to board the plane.

It was not as easy a flight back. Dor did watch a movie, Chai kept walking between the two of us, and started yelping and otherwise having a fit at one point, did it for longer than god’s been alive (ok, it felt like it) and finally fell asleep 25 minutes before landing. Eshiva slept most of this flight as well, but not all of it. Then Chai screamed b/c even with Eshiva in a sling I couldn’t carry him well enough to not be dropping him. So his ass woke up. But he screamed his way through the airport to baggage b/c he was not ready to wake up.

Somehow we wound up with an extra suitcase (larger than either of the ones we had taken) and a box. A large box. Of extra crap to bring home. Plus a small carry on box b/c it was glass and I didn’t want it to break.

Then we stopped at Subway for dinner on the way home, and Fish went out for Jamba.

That’s it, we can’t move. There was no Jamba in Parkersburg.